Major carriers, state AGs will work to combat robocalls

NEW YORK – Major phone companies are telling the country’s state attorneys general that they will do more against robocalls.

It’s the latest step from government and industry to combat the growing problem . Americans get nearly 5 billion calls from scammers, telemarketers, debt collectors and others every month. The agreement echoes some steps already taken by regulators and Congress, which is working on anti-robocall bills .

The state AGs say phone companies will offer call-blocking tools free to all but traditional landline users. They will also block calls for everyone at the network level. The Federal Communications Commission has called on phone companies to block unwanted calls and expects carriers not to charge. It also calls on them to make sure caller ID numbers are real, not faked.

The agreement doesn’t have a timeline.